Two men charged in deadly shootout outside Puerto Rican club in Bethlehem

Two men are charged in deadly exchange of gunfire outside Puerto Rican club in Bethlehem.

December 07, 2012|By Pamela Lehman, Of The Morning Call

Rene Figueroa wore a lot of gold and diamond jewelry to the Bethlehem club that night, and his friend warned him to "watch his back" because a group of Easton guys kept "looking at his gold."

Arrest papers go on to say his friend later bumped into one of the Easton men, which sparked an argument that escalated into one of the bloodiest shootouts ever in the Lehigh Valley.

Police said Figueroa, his friend and another man would fire 30 shots, wounding five and killing a 23-year-old woman, possibly when she stepped in front of a friend to protect him.

One of the three shooters was another friend of the woman. He would grab a gun from the street and start firing at the gunmen, likely saving lives, police said.

Figueroa, who remains in the hospital with gunshot wounds, was charged with homicide Friday as authorities gave details of the police investigation into Sunday's early morning shooting outside the Puerto Rican Beneficial Society in south Bethlehem.

His friend was charged with attempted homicide in a case so complex, detectives and authorities used hand-sketched maps with dozens of names, arrows and Xs drawn to show what unfolded that night on E. Third Street.

At a news conference in the Northampton County Courthouse in Easton, District Attorney John Morganelli said Figueroa, 32, of Allentown fired the shot that killed Yolanda Morales, who was at the club with the group of Easton men.

"With something as incidental as these men bumping into each other, it spun out into an incident where, unfortunately, a young woman lost her life," Morganelli said.

"She was not even involved in the incident, but it should have never gotten to that stage," he said. "Now we're here to pick up the pieces."

Investigators said Figueroa was at the club that night with Javier Rivera-Alvarado, 38, also of Allentown.

In addition to one count of homicide, Figueroa, of 936 Gordon St., is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a firearm without a license, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy.

Rivera-Alvarado, of 782 Mohawk St., is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license and conspiracy.

A police affidavit gives the following account of what happened:

Morales, who lived in Bethlehem, was at the club with her friends, Luis Rivera, 24, and his uncles Angel and Orialis Figueroa, all of whom live in Easton, where Morales grew up.

Sometime before closing time, Orialis Figueroa, 38, said he was bumped by a man identified by authorities as Rivera-Alvarado. Orialis Figueroa — who is not related to homicide suspect Rene Figueroa — said the bump sparked an argument, and Rivera-Alvarado threatened to shoot him.

The bump isn't mentioned in Rivera-Alvarado's account to police. He said that while at the bar with Rene Figueroa, he noticed a group of men "checking out" Figueroa's gold and diamond jewelry.

"[Rivera-Alvarado] told Rene to watch his back because a group of guys were watching him and looking at his gold," the affidavit states.

Rivera-Alvarado told investigators Rene Figueroa got into an argument with one of the men.

Orialis Figueroa said that after the argument, he left the bar. Realizing it was closing time, he was worried his girlfriend might be leaving at the same time as the man who threatened to shoot him. He went to a nearby vehicle and got a baseball bat, walking back toward the club.

He said Rivera-Alvarado confronted him, pointing a gun at his head, saying, "What's up now, [expletive]; put your [expletive] down."

Rivera-Alvarado opened fire with a .40-caliber handgun, hitting Orialis Figueroa in the legs. Angel Figueroa and Morales approached them. Rivera-Alvarado turned toward Angel Figueroa and Morales and fired one shot.

Orialis Figueroa said he heard Morales say, "I'm hit." Rivera-Alvarado then shot Luis Rivera, who was on the sidewalk. Orialis Figueroa got to his feet and hit Rivera-Alvarado in the back of the head with the baseball bat.

When Rivera-Alvarado fell to the ground, Orialis Figueroa grabbed his gun.

At this point, Rene Figueroa showed up with a .45-caliber semiautomatic handgun that investigators said they believe he got from a nearby vehicle. He pulled the gun from his waistband and maneuvered to get a clear shot at Angel Figueroa, 35.

Angel Figueroa told investigators Morales had been standing next to him and as she saw the gunman approach, she stepped in front of her friend Angel, possibly trying to protect him.

He said he saw Rene Figueroa shoot Morales, killing her. Rene Figueroa fired again, wounding Angel Figueroa in the back, then shot at Orialis Figueroa three or four times.

Orialis Figueroa opened up with the .40-caliber gun he had grabbed from Rivera-Alvarado and fired until it was empty, hitting Rivera-Alvarado and Rene Figueroa.